Have not seen this anomoly posted yet.

Trying to install Suse 10.3 DVD bought from EBAY.

I have a Dell 4700 P4 2.7 with 1g of ram. 80g sata harddrive with XP home SP2 (defraged).

Problem: Suse recommends that it shrink my windows partition to 171g. Huh?????

I also have a 250g internal sata harddrive. Is it trying to install there???????? Should I let it ??????

Should I try the EXPERT option ? Will it give me a look at what the install is trying to do and more choices?

3 attempts at install and this is as far as I will go because I fear that I will corrupt or erase my XP OS. It would be nice to be able to choose a dual boot until I can at least try out linux and eventually kill bill. I havent even had a chance to look at the system yet. Now I'm whineing.

Thanks in advance

If you are going to dual-boot, you will always want to use the custom partition setup ("Expert" option, whatever).

First, you may need to re-size the Windows partition if it is filling the whole drive. Before re-sizing, you normally should de-frag.

For some more detailed advice, please post the complete description of all your drives and partitions. With 2 drives, I would recommend putting all the OSes on one drive and using the other for shared data. On my system, each OS (8 at the moment) gets maybe 10GB, with the balance of the drive left unpartitioned. The other drive gets mounted into /home and has all the documents and user-specific folders for e-mail, etc.

My C: drive has only the one partition with XP home SP2 on it and it was defragged.

I was (as you recommended) trying to install on the C: drive and use the second drive for data.

But why why why did the install recommend to "shrink the windows partition to 171g" ?? - It's an 80g drive !!!!!!!!

I expected the Suse 10.3 software to automatically create its own partition on my C drive and install itself. I guess I fell off the turnip truck on that one.

I don't see why you would buy a linux dvd off of ebay, but anyways, boot a linux livecd and type fdisk -l as root and post it here, then we can give you more help

Because my internet connection is so slow we would be running on the next generation of computers by the time I downloaded it.

I can't run a live disk cause I dont have one.

My original questions are in my first post and no one has attemped to read or answer any of them. Please read the first post. Really - read - isnt there enough information there to at least attemp to answer the questions before you send me off on another adventure???

I answered your questions. The ebay disk is at least an attempt to run Linux on my part. I got so far and I had a problem. I asked some questions and got more questions.

Probably made you mad and I'm sorry but I am seriously frustrated.

I'm beginning to like Windows XP more and more every day.

boot the dvd, press ctrl-alt-f1 to get to a command prompt, then login as root, run fdisk -l and post the output here.

Ace, This disk dont boot - when you run it from dual boot sequence it trys to install itself. I get a solid black background with tons of code loading for a few minutes then the install screen pops up. I go thru some more set-up steps and then get to the part where I must choose to install as (above)PLEASE READ ABOVE IN FIRST POST the part about 171g on a 80g drive. I'll do the Fdisk -I (that is an I right?) At what location do I do this Fdisk -I ? - I assume I can copy/paste this info for you when I get it right?

I wish I could get an answer about why the installation wants to srink windows to 171g when I got a 80g drive. It's gotta be trying to install on my second drive. Thanks

when it gets to the first set up screen, press ctrl-alt-f1, login as root, and type fdisk -l(thats an ell), just write it down and then post it.have you tried doing the expert partitioner

After booting up with Suse 10.3 I have went thru Preparation - Language - License Agreement - System analysis - Time zone - Desktop selection - and am now at Installations Settings.

Tried ctrl Alt F1 and it returns me to the Black Screen and I typed root hit enter nothing happened - then I typed fdisk -l and nothing happend - I did manage to return to the installation screen by ctrl alt f7.

In the expert tab of the installation settings - under Partitioning I have the following options:
1. Shrink Windows partition/dev/sbd1 to 193.5 GB
2. Create extended partition /dev/sbd2 (39.3 GB)
3. Create swap partition /dev/sdbd5 (1.4 GB)
4. Create root partition /dev/sdb6 (15.2 GB) with ext3
5. Create partition /dev/sdb7 (22.6 GB) for /home with ext3
6. Set mount point of /dev/sda2 to /windows/C

Hope this gives you something to go on - Thanks

Is option #1 refering to my c: drive? If it is something is wrong because my C: drive is only 80 GB. I have a 250 GB D: drive (internal).

No, it isn't because you can't shrink 80 gb to 193

Ace, I know you are getting tired of this - please hang with me - from what you have read so far, what do you recommend ? I must be in the wrong area to invoke the command fdisk -l.
Thanks, Slowlane

I just realized something, those weren't options in the expert thing, thats how its going to partition the 250 gb harddrive

So you think if I execute the command to install that it will install itself on my D: drive???